FLAMES LEAVE L.A. FORTUNATE TO HAVE ONLY LOST 2-1

This game could have been 7-0. It should have been 7-0. I am not sure what Calgary thought it was doing on the ice tonight but if it was hockey they intended, they failed. I have seen spectators give more effort. By the middle of the third, after what I believe to be three goal posts and three additional glorious scoring chances up to that point, I began to feel sorry for Flames’ fans. They are passionate about hockey and their team…but then it happened again. Two such fans held up a sign about 10 rows down from me in section 119 and each time I saw the sign, I became annoyed and amused enough to hate all Calgary fans again. On one side, the sign read:

“The kings are on the flames thrown”

What?

On the other side of the sign, these scholars’ call to action was:

“I am canadian eh”

They were proud…one of them, who was a funny look kid akin to a cross between Eddie Munster and Fred Savage, kept turning around and showing off the sign. I should have walked down, taken the sign and beat the parent with it while rephrasing the sign in proper grammar. Violence can be a great learning tool after all.

Speaking of violence, how great was that Clifford fight and tell me you were not rooting for Kyle to get an assist so he could complete the Gordie Howe hat trick? Unfortunately, Clifford rounded his night with an undisciplined interference penalty that led to the only goal by the Flames and a power play goal no less. The Kings’ amazing streak of a perfect penalty kill at home was broken…to a bunch of hacks from Calgary. Pity.

Kopitar had the game winner on the powerplay. Who doesn’t love a garbage goal off a point shot (by Jack Johnson) that deflects off bodies and lands right on your stick? I could have put that in…Surly couldn’t have though. He would have been in no condition. He may have thrown up on Kiprusoff but that was about it.

Jarret Stoll…poor Jarret. He should have had a hat trick, and not the Gordie Howe type. Break that stick he used tonight and send it through a wood shredder. Post, shank, wide, on three shots, two of which were practically an open net.

Simmonds has finally picked up his game. Whatever has ailed him physically or between the ears appears to be clearing up. Now, he needs to put in some goals because he is on pace for very low payday as an RFA if he doesn’t start burying the biscuit.

The defense did a remarkable job of keeping the Flames’ shots, the few they could generate in the first and second, to the outside. Though Calgary had 15 of their 27 shots in the third, only a couple were decent scoring chances and one of them went in.

Honorable mention to Ryan Smyth. Memo to Kings’ forwards: When Smyth has the puck on his stick behind the net, get your ass to the net. You will end up with the puck facing nothing but a surprised goaltender and a net immediately behind.

We will reserve our Jonathan Quick praise for the Goalie Tracker page at the top of your screen.

We will check into Richie’s “upper body injury” that he suffered in the first.

Flames’ coach, Brent Sutter, was interviewed after the game and asked about his thoughts on Calgary’s performance. For whatever reason, he kept repeating the same answer over and over again…”hey you guuuuuys!”

2 replies

You gotta love the expression on Clifford’s face after he “scored”…priceless.

Reading Doughty’s lips is not very difficult at all. While DD embellished the spear somewhat, I was impressed by how Quick came to the aid of his teamate. Nice to see even the goaltender steps up when a cheap shot like that occurs…